Peanut Butter Spider Cookies Recipe
Soft and chewy peanut butter cookies topped with Reese’s, melted chocolate, and candy eyes—Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are the perfect Halloween treat! These cookies are easy to make, fun to decorate, and just irresistible. If you’re looking for a festive dessert that combines the perfect balance of peanut butter and chocolate, look no further.
Why I Love These Halloween Cookies
As someone who absolutely adores Halloween, I’m always on the lookout for fun, festive, and easy treats for my Halloween parties. These Peanut Butter Spider Cookies check all the boxes:
- Quick & Easy: They take about 30 minutes from start to finish, and there’s no need to chill the dough. You can whip these up on a whim!
- Made with Pantry Staples: All you need is a few basic ingredients like butter, sugar, and flour—plus Reese’s, candy eyeballs, and chocolate to give it that spooky twist.
- Perfect Combination of Peanut Butter & Chocolate: If you love the classic pairing of peanut butter and chocolate, these cookies will be your new favorite Halloween treat.
- Adorably Festive: The spider shape and candy eyes make these cookies an instant hit at any Halloween gathering, whether it’s a party or a spooky-themed charcuterie board.
Ingredients
You’ll need just 12 ingredients to make these easy and adorable spider cookies. Most of them are pantry staples! Here’s the list:
- Unsalted butter (room temperature, but not too soft)
- Brown sugar & granulated sugar (for the perfect balance of sweetness and a hint of molasses)
- Creamy peanut butter (skip the natural peanut butter for this recipe)
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda & baking powder (for the right rise and texture)
- Salt
- Granulated sugar (for rolling the cookies)
- Mini Reese’s peanut butter cups (the star of the show)
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips (for melting and creating those creepy spider legs)
- Candy eyeballs (easily found at most grocery or craft stores, especially around Halloween)
How to Make Peanut Butter Spider Cookies
Making these Peanut Butter Spider Cookies couldn’t be simpler! Here’s how I do it:
Step 1: Chill the Reese’s
Unwrap 24 mini Reese’s cups and place them in a bowl. Stick them in the freezer while you prepare the cookie dough. This will help them keep their shape when pressed into the hot cookies.
Step 2: Mix the Dough
- Beat the butter and sugars: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients: Add in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat everything together until well combined.
- Mix in dry ingredients: Gradually add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until the dough just comes together.
Step 3: Shape and Bake the Cookies
- Form dough balls: Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough by hand. You can use a cookie scoop to make them uniform in size.
- Roll in sugar: Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar to give it a nice sparkle and a slightly crispy exterior.
- Bake: Place the dough balls on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8-11 minutes. The edges should start to crack slightly, but I like to err on the side of slightly underdone since they’ll continue to bake on the sheet as they cool.
- Cool: Once the cookies are done, press a chilled Reese’s cup into the center of each warm cookie. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes to set. If you move them too soon, the Reese’s could sink into the cookie and lose its shape.
Step 4: Add the Spider Legs and Eyes
- Melt the chocolate: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips, stirring every minute until smooth. I prefer to use a squeeze bottle to draw the legs, but you could also use a piping bag if you have one.
- Draw the legs: Using the melted chocolate, draw 4 spider legs on each side of the Reese’s cup, making them look like creepy crawlers.
- Attach the eyes: Once the chocolate has slightly cooled but is still soft, dab a little melted chocolate on the back of each candy eyeball and press them onto the Reese’s cup.
- Let set: Allow the cookies to set completely, letting the chocolate firm up and the eyes stay in place.
Tips for Success
These cookies are pretty straightforward to make, but I have a few tips that help me ensure they turn out perfect every time:
- Equal-sized dough balls: Try to make your dough balls the same size so they bake evenly. You can use a cookie scoop to help with this.
- Chill the Reese’s cups: Freezing the Reese’s cups makes them easier to place on the hot cookies and helps them maintain their shape.
- Check doneness by the edges: The cookies should look slightly cracked at the edges but not overly brown. They’ll continue to bake on the cookie sheet once you take them out of the oven.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet: Don’t move them too soon after baking. Let them cool for at least 15 minutes on the sheet so the Reese’s cup stays in place.
- Add the eyes before the chocolate sets: It’s easiest to attach the candy eyes when the melted chocolate is still warm and soft.
Final Thoughts
These Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are a fun and festive way to bring some Halloween cheer to your dessert table. They’re quick to make, super cute, and absolutely delicious! Whether you’re baking for a party or just to share with friends and family, these cookies will be a hit.
